NEW YORK, Jan 31 — Merck & Co’s new antiviral pill, once touted as a potential game changer for treating Covid-19, is the last choice among four available options for at-risk patients given its relatively low efficacy and potential safety issues, US doctors, healthcare systems and pharmacies told Reuters.
Enthusiasm for the drug waned some when full data showed about 30 per cent efficacy. That was further eroded when Paxlovid was shown to cut hospitalisation risk by 90 per cent. GSK’s sotrovimab and Gilead’s remdesivir - sold as Veklury - cut hospitalization risk by 85 per cent and 87 per cent, respectively.
Reuters talked to over a dozen healthcare providers in more than half a dozen countries, most of whom said they are prescribing molnupiravir on a limited basis and primarily if more effective options cannot be used or are not available. Dozens of generic drugmakers are lined up to produce Merck’s drug for low-income countries, but future demand is unclear.
Of the 80 courses of molnupiravir he received, 70 remain in stock, Moore said, while all 40 courses of Paxlovid quickly sold out. He has a waiting list for his next shipment.Molnupiravir introduces errors into the genetic code of the coronavirus and both men and women taking it are instructed to use effective birth control due to potential safety issues.
Drugs in the same class as Merck’s pill, known as nucleoside analogues, have been linked to birth defects in animal studies. Merck has said animal studies of its drug - for longer and at higher doses than used in humans - show that it does not cause birth defects or cancer.
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